This Year, Live by the Beatitudes (1)

 'Blessed are the poor in spirit...' Matthew 5:3 NKJV      

    


Just a reminder that tonight is our News Years Eve bash here @CFW starting @7pm. Please bring finger foods to share, your favorite board games, and a gift to exchange with someone else.

I'm still excited at what God did yesterday in our service. Worship was incredible and the word was powerful like a two edged sword. Just like its supposed to be. I hope and pray God gave you a new hope or a renewed faith; so for the next few days let's look at the Beatitudes (what our attitudes should be). Jesus said, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' Now, He wasn't saying He's against you having money, He was saying He's against money having you. He will actually prosper you so that you can finance and fulfil His purposes in the earth. But He doesn't measure the size of your faith by the size of your bank balance. In one of His parables Jesus called a wealthy man a 'fool'. That wasn't because the man was rich, it was because he wasn't 'rich toward God.' (Luke 12:21 NKJV) John D. Rockefeller once said: 'I've made many millions but they brought me no real happiness. I'd barter them all for the days I sat on an office stool in Cleveland and counted myself rich on three dollars a week.' Having more money may give you social status, but serving God gives you Kingdom-significance. Big difference! So keep your focus on what matters and live for what lasts. Each winter in Kemi, Finland, you can visit a sprawling ice castle that features a theatre, a playground, an art gallery and a chapel. The chapel is a popular wedding venue and the theatre can seat 3,000 people. In it rock concerts, musicals, modern dance and opera recitals have been held. The problem is, its upkeep costs millions of dollars and, each year, it all melts in the spring. Are you getting the idea? Focus on what lasts, not on what doesn't. You are loved!

Shake It Off

 'But Paul shook the snake off into the fire...' Acts 28:5 NIV      

    

I'm in the office today for a few hours because I have to get the message done for Sunday. I was able to take a few vacation days but as things go I didn't get everything done last week I needed too. Amy and I hope you had a blessed Christmas and as we look forward into the New Year, you will have a renewed focus and vision for the Kingdom of God!

In Acts 28:5 it says, "But Paul shook the snake off into the fire." Pastor what a odd scripture to look at? Let me share the story of a farmer whose mule fell into a well. The farmer one day found his mule in his well. Since he had no way to get him out, he decided to bury him there. He got a truckload of dirt and dumped it on top of the mule. But instead of lying down under it, the mule started kicking and snorting until he worked his way to the top of it. This continued all afternoon. Truckload after truckload, the mule just kept shaking it off and stepping on top of it. Finally when the dirt reached the top of the well the mule just snorted and walked away, a dirtier but a wiser mule. What was intended to bury him, just brought him out on top. On his way to Rome Paul was shipwrecked on an island. As he was gathering firewood a snake attached itself to his arm. What did he do? The Bible says he just 'shook it off.' There's an important lesson for you in those two stories. You can either dwell on the past, or shake it off and move toward the future God has planned for you. Paul, a man with a past, writes about '...Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.' (Philippians 3:13 NKJV) Now, Paul didn't forget his past, he just shook it off and kept going. You say, 'But I've failed so badly.' The Bible says, '...[He] will not remember your sins.' (Isaiah 43:25 NAS) Sometimes forgiveness requires a healing process, but until you make the decision to forgive yourself and others, and 'shake it off', the process can't even begin. So make the choice; move forward! You are loved...

It's Just Part of Life's Journey (5)

'...God...will...make a way of escape...' 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

          

             
Just a reminder that Monday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve, we will be having a candlelight service @6:30pm. I hope you will make it a part of you're holiday plans.
This morning is the last part on "Life's Journey". In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says: '[God] will...make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.' I love the analogy of the Army and Christian discipleship. Before the Army sends you into battle they first send you to boot camp. You're up at dawn running miles with a heavy backpack, climbing over barricades, crawling through mud with the sounds of gunfire all around you, taking orders from authority figures you don't like, who make you do stuff you don't want to do. But when you pass the test you get to wear the uniform and fight for your country. Same thing in our walk of faith. When we go through things that will require some spiritual battle; we must believe these words of Paul: 'But with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.' The Living Bible says, '...So that you can bear up patiently against it.' God is looking for people who are able to bear up under training, then go out and win the battle with the enemy.' For every problem, God has a solution. But it may not be the solution you have in mind! Satan's strategy is to defeat you by wearing you down, so winning is not a matter of escape but of endurance. Tenacious faith and commitment is one of the great themes of Scripture. It's also the secret of victory. When their prison doors miraculously opened, Paul and Silas realised that God's plan for them was not to escape but to stay there and win the jailer and his family to Christ. Sometimes God's 'way of escape' is to keep you where you are and use you to bring glory to His name even if the easiest thing to do is just leave the situation. You are loved!

It's Just Part of Life's Journey (4)

'...He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear...' 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

         

             

Just a reminder that Monday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve, we will be having a candlelight service @6:30pm. I hope you will make it a part of you're holiday plans.

The Bible says, 'He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.' You have been tempered for the test! Like tempered steel or glass, certain additives have been placed within you to increase your ability to stand up to the pressures life will throw at you. The fact that you've been exposed to this level of testing is a sign that God has given you the grace to handle it. He's not going to let you escape this trial, because He's equipped you to deal with it. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, or giving up, or saying you can't take it anymore. Not everybody in a gym can handle the same level of weight because each is at a different stage of development. But the trainer knows. He will push you to your limit, but he will never add one weight more than you can carry. God is a good trainer and He's working according to a plan. He not only knows the right technique, He knows how much weight needs to be added in order to get you to the next stage of development. He will let you strain, shake and sweat, but He won't let you break. While you are focused on temporary stuff like getting a better house or car or job, He has something entirely different in mind: 'We...are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord...' (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV) Once you understand this and line up your will with God's will, you'll begin to appreciate what He's doing and cooperate with Him. You are loved!

It's Just Part of Life's Journey (3)

 

'...But God is faithful...' 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV   

             

Just a reminder that Monday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve, we will be having a candlelight service @6:30pm. I hope you will make it a part of you're holiday plans.
Here's a promise you can stand on when your world has been shaken: 'But God is faithful.' Jesus said, 'Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.' (Luke 21:33 NIV) In a world of uncertainty you can sing, 'On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.' Your job, your health, your relationships and your investments are all 'sinking sand'. But God's faithfulness is as solid as a rock. He will be faithful to you in the delivery room, in the operating room, in the nursing home, in the unemployment line, in the criminal proceedings, and during marriage counseling. The Psalmist wrote: 'I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart...' (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV) Focusing on God's faithfulness will keep you from falling apart, giving up, having a nervous breakdown or losing your mind. Be honest; hasn't God been better to you than you've been to Him? Hasn't He been faithful when you've been unfaithful, and consistent when you've been inconsistent? 'The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.' (Romans 11:29 NKJV) When God gives you a gift, He doesn't take it back. When He makes you a promise, He won't break it. Even when Abraham died, God remembered His promise and blessed his children down through the generations. Why is this important to know? Because when you begin to see God's faithfulness to you, it will make you want to be faithful to Him. So be faithful and watch what happens...you are loved!

It's Just Part of Life's Journey (2)

 

'...But such as is common to man...' 1 Corinthians 10:13 NAS

         

             

Just a reminder that Monday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve, we will be having a candlelight service @6:30pm. I hope you will make it a part of you're holiday plans.

The Bible says your struggle is not unique, it's 'common to man' in you journey through life. Your secret is not really a secret, it's just a secret shared by others who are equally afraid to talk. The only time we tend to be honest is when we're in trouble. As long as we think we can manage our dysfunction, we don't talk about it. You are not the only one who got married and then wanted a divorce, or lost control and lashed out, or quit a job and now doesn't have a job to go to. This is important to know, because it takes away your feeling of isolation and enables you to overcome self-pity. It also helps you to say, 'If others made it, then by God's grace I can too.' Perhaps you wonder if God is judging you, or the devil is attacking you, or if you did something to bring it on yourself. No, it's just part of life's journey! You'll notice in Scripture that God doesn't whitewash His heroes. He doesn't exempt the people He uses from struggle and sorrow. 'These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us...' (1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV) Every age and every stage of life brings a different test, and a different level of testing. You can't pray away the tests of life, or quote Scripture and make them disappear. God never promised you a trouble-free trip to Heaven. Jesus said, 'I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33 NIV) You are loved!

It's Just Part of Life's Journey (1)

 

'No temptation has overtaken you...' 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

             
Just a reminder that Monday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve, we will be having a candlelight service @6:30pm. I hope you will make it a part of you're holiday plans.
I want us to look the next few days at overcoming in our Life's Journey. Paul writes, 'No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to [mankind].' Notice the word 'overtaken'. Suddenly you're 'overtaken' by a set of circumstances you didn't create, don't want, and don't know how to get out of. Kind of like what happened over the weekend with the shootings or loss of job; you get the point. Understand this: You don't pick the test, the test picks you! You don't get to choose who breaks your heart, or who gets on your nerves, or who lets you down. When you first held your child you didn't think that one day you'd be down at a detention center trying to get them released. You couldn't have known that a routine checkup would have you in the hospital fighting a life-threatening illness. Maybe your problem is so personal and embarrassing that you're afraid to even discuss it with anybody. So you walk the floor at night praying, 'Lord, get me out of this or I'm finished!' Even Paul wrote, '...We despaired...of life.' (2 Corinthians 1:8 NAS) When you've been 'overtaken' by a situation you learn three things: (1) Don't judge others. The Bible says, 'Every man is...drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.' (James 1:14 KJV) When you don't know what somebody's been through or the circumstances which have conditioned them, be quiet. If you have to talk about it, talk to God! (2) Don't tell your troubles to the wrong people. Look for people who will share your burden, not spread your problem. (3) Bring it to Jesus. 'Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.' (Hebrews 4:16 NIV) You have what it takes, because your Savior never leaves you. You are loved!

You're Here for a Reason

'...I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.' Genesis 32:30 NLT

    

 Sorry I haven't been on my blog for a couple of days, but as with the flu it always comes out in the end...bad joke I know. But I have not felt well for two days as I slept and didn't eat. I wouldn't recommend this as a weight loss program but I lost 12 lbs...yea! Kind of sorta..    

We are heavy into the Christmas season and sometimes Satan likes to come and mess with us a little. So here's an antidote of scripture to put the enemy in his place. The Bible says Satan works 'day and night' building a case against you (Revelation 12:10). But with God's Word '...in your mouth and...heart...' (Romans 10:8 NCV) you can overcome him. When Satan says give up, God says stay the course (Matthew 5:11-12). When Satan tells you to look out for number one, God says put the other guy first (Philippians 2:3-4). When Satan says it's ok to hold grudges, God says forgive as often as it takes (Matthew 6:14-15). When Satan says get even, God says be a peacemaker (Romans 12:18-19). When Satan tells you to take all the credit, God says glorify Jesus (John 17:5). When Satan says clean up the outside and people won't notice the inside, God says He looks at your heart (1 Samuel 16:7). When Satan says you're ugly, God says you're '...wonderfully made...' (Psalm 139:14 NKJV). When Satan says you're alone and nobody understands you, God says He'll never leave you and that He has plans for your life (Deuteronomy 31:6 and Jeremiah 29:11). David said, 'I know You are pleased with me...You have not let my enemies triumph over me. You have preserved my life...' (Psalm 41:11-12 NLT) The devil will play any card, and if that first one doesn't work he'll try the childhood memories trick, or he'll dredge up your past sins and remind you of all the broken promises and dreams. Jacob said, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.' Bottom line: God has a plan for your life; otherwise you wouldn't be here! Merry Christmas!

God Can Turn Your Failure into Success

 

 '...Because you say so, I will...' Luke 5:5 NIV  

             


Good Morning, I need to ask you a favor. I'm looking to see how many people would like to be a part of a Christmas Eve Service @6pm on the 24th. I'm looking for a solid RSVP from you. Please email me and RSVP so I can announce it this Sunday if we are going forward.

I was thinking this morning how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. I love how God turns our human failures into successes. We struggle through the week and yet when all is said and done, when we trust in Jesus, there can be nothing but success. Look at Jesus, '[Jesus] said to Simon: Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch. Simon answered, Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will... When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.' (Luke 5:4-6 NIV)

Notice two principles in this story: (1) God will use failure to get your attention. Peter was tired, empty-handed and disappointed when Jesus spoke to him. And He will speak to you through a rocky marriage, a child you're about to give up on, or a job that seems too hard. He doesn't want you to run from your problems, He wants you to learn from them; to discover the difference He can make in your situation when you invite Him into it. (2) God can take you back to the place of failure and give you success. We assume that because we weren't successful at something, it wasn't God's will. But often the truth is that we failed because we relied on our own strength instead of His. When Jesus spoke, the fish responded. The Bible says: '...They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.' (Luke 5:6-7 NIV) God is not limited by your circumstances, He's only limited by your unbelief. When you obey Him, you'll discover He has a level of abundance in mind that will exceed all your expectations. So don't limit what God has for you. Keep on believing by faith that your God takes care of you! You are loved...

Unhealthy Comparisons (5)

'...Godliness with contentment is great gain.' 1 Timothy 6:6 NIV

         

             


Paul writes, 'Godliness with contentment is great gain.' This word 'gain' doesn't mean increase, but profit. There's a difference. Profit is what you have left when the transaction is over. Paul meant that when everything is said and done, you must feel good about being yourself. You must be able to say, 'I would rather be a great sergeant than a poor general.'
Only when you've followed well, can you lead well. If you're praying for a certain position or promotion, check your motives. Sometimes what we call faith is really just ambition, because we haven't come to the place where we're comfortable with the role God has given us. King Saul's undoing was his ego. He couldn't stand somebody else doing it better than he did. Many of us have a wrong concept of what being 'blessed' looks like. We have seen God's blessing in someone else's life, so we think that to be like them is to be blessed. And no matter what God gives us, we are never happy because we're not like them. We are asking God for something but we don't know what it is, what it looks like, or when we have it. And if you don't know you have it, you won't know when you lose it. When you keep comparing yourself to somebody else you make that person an idol in your life. Tear that idol down! Ask God for a dream of your own. Stand on your own two feet. Be who God created you to be. Even though God has more in store for you, praise Him for what He's given you right now. You are loved...

Unhealthy Comparisons (4)

 

'There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.' 1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV

         

             


Ever thought about this, no matter how good you are, you'll never be good at being somebody else. Don't fall into the trap of trying to live up to the reputation of another person. When Amy and I got married sometimes I would think, 'My mother makes better fried chicken than this.' I once said that to Amy; you know what she said, 'Then tell your mother to come over here and cook you some.' If you want your wife to shine in the kitchen, compliment her. Don't compare her with somebody else. Unhealthy comparisons hurt relationships! The Psalmist writes about the successful person who 'is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season...' (Psalm 1:3 NIV) A wise fruit grower understands three things about his trees: (1) Apple trees are only capable of producing apples. (2) Apple trees only produce apples in certain seasons. (3) It is a mistake to pick your apples too early. When the daughter of a well-known preacher was introduced on a Christian television network, she received invitations from several churches to come and speak. But her father said, 'No, leave her alone. I won't allow the system to eat her up and begin to compare her unfavorably with her father or mother or somebody else she can never be. I want her to be herself.' What great counsel and insight! Paul writes, '...That we...might be for the praise of His glory.' (Ephesians 1:12 NIV) When you understand who you are and God created you to be - being yourself brings glory to God! You can say, 'Lord, I'm thankful for who You made me; I've finished complaining or wishing I could be somebody else.' You are loved!

Unhealthy Comparisons (3)

 

'I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.' 1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV   

             


Unhealthy comparison is a sign of spiritual immaturity. I think it takes all of us a while to realize that our walk with Christ is different than someone else's. We all can look to other's who have walked this walk of faith a long time and admire them. But when we compare ourselves to them so we can somehow be better or look down on them in superiority, there's something wrong in our thinking. Here's what Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 'Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour.' (1 Corinthians 3:1-8 NIV) Understanding your gifts and your God-given purpose frees you from the need to measure yourself by the runner in the next lane, or someone playing a different position on the team. When you understand this, your sense of inadequacy will be healed and you'll be able to enjoy and complement others. You'll also be able to help liberate your children from sibling rivalry and show them that success is not about being like somebody else, but about being the best you can be, and God made you to be. That's a person whose heart and attitude is right with God and people! You are loved...

Unhealthy Comparisons (2)

  

  '...They measure themselves by themselves...' 2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV
 

             


A certain level of competitiveness is good. You need it. When children enter a spelling contest they study harder and learn more because they're going to compete. They know their academic prowess is about to be challenged and they get ready for it because we like to win. But when your competitiveness makes you feel 'less than', or 'better than' another person, it's gone too far. One of the things I had to overcome and some would say I haven't yet, is my grandma letting me win all the time. I thought I should win all the time as a child and when I didn't it wasn't pretty. Paul writes about unhealthy comparisons when he says: '...When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God...has assigned to us.' (2 Corinthians 10:12-13 NIV) To evaluate your success accurately you must first understand your God-given purpose. When you play on a team your position determines your purpose. Attackers and defenders have different skills, but to win, the team needs both. The defender who keeps the opposing team from scoring is just as valuable as the attacker who scores. One may get more applause than the other, but victory belongs to them all. When you keep comparing yourself with others you're denied a sense of accomplishment, because you've made the benchmark to be like somebody else. No, they are playing a different position. They have a different purpose. They have a different skill set designed to fulfill the role God has given them. God gives you everything you need for the position you play and the purpose you have. What a liberating truth! And God, who gave others the ability to excel at what they do, will do the same for you when you learn to focus on Him, not them.'...They measure themselves by themselves...' 2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV You are loved...

Unhealthy Comparisons (1)

 

 '...Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.' 1 Samuel 18:7 NKJV  

             


A big thanks to John Shane and his ministry @CFW yesterday. Its always a life changing time as he shares what God has done the past year in the different countries he's been in. So how do we overcome unhealthy comparisons of other people?  Instead of celebrating David's victory over Goliath with those who sang 'David [has slain] his ten thousands', Saul became jealous. As a result, he opened himself to 'an evil spirit'. (1 Samuel 18:10 NIV) There are three lessons here: (1) Those who help you today, may hurt you tomorrow.So what should you do? When Saul threw spears, David refused to throw them back. Instead he forgave, prayed for Saul, and positioned himself to be promoted. It's not easy, but it's a winning strategy. 'You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in Heaven...' (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV)
(2) Those who love you today, may loathe you tomorrow.God says, '...I have loved you with an everlasting love...' (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV) All other sources of love are subject to change. You can marry someone who resents you for being what you are, and you end up thinking, 'You chose me because I'm outspoken; now you don't like me because I speak out,' or 'You liked me because I was quiet; now you say I'm boring.' You feel betrayed when people invite you, then fight you. But God will be faithful to you! (3) While others speak well of you, some will resent you. David didn't sing, 'Saul killed a thousand, but I killed ten thousand.' You can understand why that would irritate others. But David didn't boast about his success. Sometimes those who congratulate you can create enemies for you. That's because some people can't celebrate anyone other than themselves. So take a look at yourself today and ask God to show you, what's up? You are loved...